Olympus SZ-15

Olympus SZ-15 is Olympus's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera initially launched on June of 2013. It features a 16 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a full resolution of 4608 x 3456.

The SZ-15 is ranked #66 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras & over-all #546 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. Please look at our Smart camera finder to see camera listings based on your customized criteria.

Here is a diagram of different factors used in the rating system.

The Olympus SZ-15 has a history of related digital cameras. Below, you can see all earlier and new models alongside important specs.

You can see the SZ-15 from several angles in the gallery underneath.

Below is a selection of benefits and drawbacks of the Olympus SZ-15 based on aspects which are oftentimes regarded as important in a digital camera.

The spec of the sensor in the Olympus SZ-15 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to capture 4608 x 3456 pixels at aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera has Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is more effective than digital stabilization as the latter can lead to cropping.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The CCD sensor has 16 megapixels and includes a standard ISO range of 100 - 3200. Sadly, RAW format is not saved therefore you have less margin for error.

The picture underneath shows the SZ-15's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The SZ-15 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is pointed out in green.

Photography Glossary

To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Olympus SZ-15 has a weight of 0.55 lb (250 gr / 8.82 ounces) & the sizing of the camera is 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6"). The weight of average Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 gr so the Olympus SZ-15 is less heavy when compared with other rivals.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Here is a shot of the Olympus SZ-15 alongside a softdrink to help you get a feel for its scale.

The top view under will highlight the button layout on the SZ-15.

The SZ-15 is equipped with a fixed lens providing a focal range of 23-483mm giving it a 21.0 x zoom which is outstanding and would allow you to zoom all the way in.

At the widest 23mm, the lens has an aperture of f2.8 making it very slow and not the best for low light situations and you will probably find it difficult to get good bokeh. You might also need to up the ISO causing noisy photos. At the tele end, 483mm is amazing zoom and comes at f5.9 making it very sluggish and you might need to utilize slower shutter speeds.

The SZ-15 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes
• GPS Yes

Digital cameras which include NFC and / or Bluetooth connectivity can easily be used wirelessly with smartphones. You can send files and sometimes adjust camera settings with no need to connect straight to the camera.

Some applications even allow a Liveview and release the shutter in case you are not close to the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it could be attached to an external screen. Almost all cameras enable you to charge the battery pack through the USB port.

The highest possible video resolution in the Olympus SZ-15 is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in AVI MPEG4 and Motion JPEG file format. 1080p resolution gives a great balance for video quality vs file sizes but 1080p won't leave you with any room to downsample. The camera does not offer a microphone and / or headphone socket which means that you have got no control over the audio. It is probably a better idea to look at an alternative model if you require decent audio for your videos.

Olympus SZ-15 does not include environment proofing so wet conditions could ruin the camera.

The Olympus SZ-15 features a 3 inch fixed display screen boasting a resolution of 460 thousand dots.

Please note that the display has no touch support.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The View Finder specs for Olympus SZ-15 are the following:

• ViewFinder None

For sunny outdoor situations which make the camera displays washed out and tough to see, viewfinders will be very valuable.

Olympus SZ-15 has the ability to shoot continuously at 10.0 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/2000s.

Olympus SZ-15 has only integrated flash without external flash support.

Olympus SZ-15 has just Contrast Detect AF & is missing Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more faster & accurate when compared with Contrast Detect autofocusing. The camera features Face detection which can be helpful for portraits.

It also comes with Tracking AF for objects that move. Olympus SZ-15 boasts manual focus if needed for low light situations or you need more exact control on focus.

The average Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR has got the best (600) battery life for this class of cameras.

Below is a number of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras that have the best battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
SZ-15 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
SZ-15 vs B500600 nonoyes

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Nikon L840
SZ-15 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
SZ-15 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
SZ-15 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following diagram presents a outline of the Olympus SZ-15 for different forms of photography. To check out more, browse to the specific section underneath.

The Olympus SZ-15 gets a rating of 44 which is dreadful, and means the camera is just not suitable to use for portrait photography. Photographing portraits leans greatly towards sensor resolution, support for RAW photos & capability to utilize off-camera flash.

Getting a modest points tally of 60, the Olympus SZ-15 is reasonably appropriate to buy for street photography. A decent street photography camera offers a perfect balance of picture quality plus portability.

A decent sports photography points total of 53 means the Olympus SZ-15 is fairly suited for taking pictures of sports. A camera needs to have good autofocus and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Weight is really crucial when getting a camera for travel. All round, the Olympus SZ-15 gets a nice 68 as a travel camera which is a good choice to purchase for your journeys.

For anyone looking to choose a camera for landscape photos, the most significant aspect will be image quality. The Olympus SZ-15 and it's reasonable grade of 49 for a landscape camera is fairly appropriate compared to it's rivals.

A vlogging camera really should posses a moving display screen, microphone input and preferably image stabilization. Taking all things in to account, the Olympus SZ-15 is just not suitable as a vlog camera as it delivers a dreadful rating of 34.

If you are in the market for replacements to the SZ-15, below is a list of the top placed cameras that fall within the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The diagram listed below shows you a summary of the SZ-15 compared to it's top rated competitors suggested previously.

Following are several cameras you may regard as alternatives. To read a complete comparison, click the "compare" link.